美国的开国元勋

那是1776年圣诞节的凌晨时分。

It's the early hours of Christmas morning seventeen '70 six.

在宾夕法尼亚州特拉华河结冰的河岸上，21岁的亚历山大·汉密尔顿上尉思索着，一个人是否能在比此刻更寒冷的条件下存活。

On the frozen banks of the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, 21 year old captain Alexander Hamilton wonders if it's possible to be any colder than he is right now and survive.

下方的河流布满冰凌与浮冰，犹如障碍赛道。

The river below is an obstacle course of ice and slush.

人若掉进去，几秒钟内就足以致命。

It's enough to kill a man within seconds of falling in.

然而，汉密尔顿正朝着水域进发，这是乔治·华盛顿的大陆军对抗英军的下一阶段战斗。

Yet the water is exactly where Hamilton is headed, the next stage in the fight for George Washington's Continental Army against the British.

他带领士兵们来到一队等候的小船旁，准备渡河。

He leads his men down to where a flotilla of small boats is waiting to take them across the river.

他强忍着剧烈的咳嗽，协助将大炮装上一艘60英尺长的渡船，同船的还有40名士兵。

Trying to control his hacking cough, he helps to load cannons into a 60 foot ferry alongside 40 of his men.

就在他们忙碌时，天开始下雪了。

But as they work, snow starts to fall.

情况还能更糟吗？

Could things get any worse?

不到六个月前，《独立宣言》签署后，人们还情绪高涨。

Less than six months ago, the mood was buoyant after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

但如今，国王的军队已占领纽约城，新国家的梦想被粉碎。

But now the king's forces have taken New York City, and the dreams of a new nation have been crushed.

汉密尔顿自己的连队已经损失了一半的士兵。

Hamilton's own company has already lost half its men.

但他们希望今晚的袭击或许能扭转局势。

But tonight's attack, they hope, might turn the tide.

士兵们安顿下来，船夫下令保持安静，同时解开那艘吃水很深的平底货船的缆绳。

The soldiers settle, and the ferryman orders silence as he unties the flat bottomed cargo boat sitting low in the freezing water.

渡河距离仅有300码，但河面上挤满了载着士兵、马匹和大炮的其他船只。

The crossing is only 300 yards, but the river is crammed with other boats carrying soldiers, horses, and cannons.

六名船员将钢尖船桨插入河床，东北风裹挟着冰雹砸向他们的眼睛。

The crew of six jam steel tipped oars into the riverbed as the northeast wind propels hail into their eyes.

在上游不远处，传来有人落水的扑通声，以及同伴们慌乱压低嗓音的呼救，正奋力将他拉回安全地带。

A little upriver, there is the splash of a man falling overboard and panicked, hushed voices as his comrades struggle to haul him back to safety.

最终，汉密尔顿的船抵达了新泽西岸边，他爬上河岸与已集结的队伍汇合。

Eventually, Hamilton's boat reaches the New Jersey side, and he clambers up the bank to join those already assembling.

人数比他预期的要少，可能只有两千人左右，但就在这时他瞥见了华盛顿将军的身影。

There are fewer than he expected, perhaps only 2,000, but then he catches a glimpse of General Washington.

这位领袖裹着斗篷，假发从黑色三角帽下散落，正迎接陆续上岸的士兵们。

The leader welcomes his men as they come ashore, his cloak wrapped around him, powdered hair escaping from under his black Tricorn hat.

华盛顿的年龄是汉密尔顿的两倍，但他的权威丝毫未减，深受部下敬重，他们深知他绝不会要求他们做出任何他自己不愿欣然承担的牺牲。

Washington is twice Hamilton's age, but his power is undiminished, respected by his men who know he'll never ask any sacrifice of them that he would not gladly make himself.

当最后一批炮兵集结完毕时，时间已比原计划晚了数小时。

As the last artillerymen assemble, it's already hours later than planned.

天亮将使突袭行动变得困难得多。

Daylight will make a surprise attack so much harder.

但已无回头路可走。

But there's no going back.

华盛顿将他的军队分成两路纵队，向九英里外的特伦顿进军。

Washington divides his army into two columns to march to Trenton, nine miles away.

他们沿着坑洼的河岸道路穿过茂密的林地。

They take the pitted river road through dense woodland.

汉密尔顿很庆幸自己穿着鞋。

Hamilton is grateful for his footwear.

许多士兵赤着脚，受伤的脚在雪地上留下一串鲜红的血迹。

Many of the men are shoeless, their injured feet leaving a trail of bright red blood on the snowy ground.

至少他们的脚已被冻得麻木了。

At least their feet are numbed by the cold.

经过漫长的四个小时行军后，树林逐渐稀疏。

After four long hours, the forest thins out.

当他们进入风景如画的特伦顿小镇郊区时，空气中飘来木屋炊烟的气息。

There is the smell of wood smoke from houses as they enter the outskirts of the pretty town of Trenton.

但爱国者们包围这座定居点时，却不见其他生命迹象。

But there's no other sign of life as the Patriots circle the settlement.

汉密尔顿和他的部下刚将两门六磅野战炮推入阵地，第一批蓄着胡须的黑森士兵就从营房里冲了出来。

Hamilton and his men are just wheeling their two six pound field cannons into place when the first mustachioed Hessians emerge from their barracks.

这些为英军作战的德国部队被眼前的景象震惊了，或许还因前一晚的节日啤酒而睡眼惺忪。

Shocked by what they discover, these German troops here to fight for the British are perhaps bleary eyed too from a few festive beers the night before.

黑森士兵试图反击。

The Hessians try to fight back.

他们毕竟是训练有素的职业军人，但火力上处于劣势。

They are tough professionals after all, but they are outgunned.

当汉密尔顿的部队沿着镇上的鹅卵石街道发射炮弹时，敌军纷纷寻找掩体。

As Hamilton and his men fire cannonballs along the town's cobbled streets, the enemy runs for cover.

特伦顿战役在几分钟内就结束了。

The battle at Trenton is over within minutes.

仅有2名美军和22名黑森士兵阵亡。

Only two Americans and 22 Hessians are killed.

美军俘获了1000名战俘，还缴获了弹药、滑膛枪和数桶朗姆酒。

1,000 prisoners are seized, along with ammunition, muskets, and barrels of rum.

更重要的是，华盛顿的大胆行动提振了士气，爱国者们纷纷投身这一事业。

More importantly, Washington's audacious mission raises morale, and patriots flock to fight for the cause.

美利坚合众国的建立将改变世界，激励其他殖民地掌控自己的命运。

The founding of The United States will change the world, inspiring other colonies to control their own destinies.

而决策者们——华盛顿、汉密尔顿，还有托马斯·杰斐逊、本杰明·富兰克林等人——将成为传奇人物。

And the decision makers, Washington, Hamilton, but also Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and more, will become legendary.

‘开国元勋’这一称谓将颂扬他们近乎神明的地位。

The phrase founding fathers will celebrate their almost godlike status.

但在《独立宣言》发表近二百五十年后，他们的遗产仍备受争议与质疑。

But nearly two hundred and fifty years after the Declaration of Independence, their legacy is still challenged and debated.

那么，开国元勋们究竟是谁？

So who were the Founding Fathers?

他们的才能、思想与缺陷如何塑造了这个新生国家？

How did their talents, ideas, and flaws shape their new nation?

他们在十八世纪做出的选择，又如何持续影响着当今世界？

And how did the choices they made in the eighteenth century still affect the world today?

我是来自Neuser的约翰·霍普金斯。

I'm John Hopkins from Neuser.

这是一段关于美国开国元勋的简史。

This is a short history of the founding fathers of The United States Of America.

1607年，在导致美国建国的事件发生前150年，首批几百名英国移民在弗吉尼亚建立了詹姆斯敦殖民地。

In sixteen o seven, one hundred and fifty years before the events that lead to the founding of The United States, the first few 100 British immigrants found the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia.

到18世纪中叶，已有13个英国殖民地沿大西洋海岸延伸。

By the middle of the eighteenth century, there are 13 British colonies stretching along the Atlantic Coast.

他们的人口总数已激增至约150万。

Their combined population has swelled to around one and a half million.

北部是新英格兰地区的五个殖民地。

To the north are the five New England colonies.

中部包括纽约，而最南端则是五个南方殖民地，包括弗吉尼亚和佐治亚。

The middle section includes New York, and at the bottom are the five Southern colonies, including Virginia and Georgia.

尽管每个殖民地都有自己的政府和特色，但它们都与英国保持着紧密的联系。

Though each has its own government and identity, they all feel a strong connection to Britain.

林赛·M·查文斯基博士

Doctor Lindsay M.

是一位总统历史学家，著有《乔治·华盛顿与美国制度的创建》一书。

Chavinsky is a presidential historian and author of George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution.

他们坚信自己是最忠诚的英国臣民。

They believed that they were the most loyal British citizens.

事实上，君主崇拜文化——比如印有皇家徽章的瓷器或王室族谱这类物品，在殖民地极受欢迎，往往一上市就销售一空。

In fact, the cult of monarchy, things like China sets with the royal crest or the family tree, those were so popular and sold out immediately in the colonies.

因此许多殖民者真心认为自己是忠诚的臣民，渴望成为帝国事业的一部分。

So a lot of the colonists really thought of themselves as very loyal citizens, and they wanted to be a part of the imperial project.

关键的是，他们从不认为自己是二等公民。

And critically, they did not think of themselves as second class citizens.

他们觉得自己与伦敦或英格兰本土居民地位平等。

They thought of themselves as on par with those that lived in London or in England.

直到此时，殖民地大多仍处于自治状态。

Until now, the colonies have mostly been left to govern themselves.

但这种放任自流的统治方式即将改变。

But that hands off rule is about to change.

时间来到1763年，大不列颠刚刚在一场与法国的漫长血腥领土战争中获胜。

It is 1763, and Great Britain has just emerged victorious from a long and bloody territorial war against France.

美洲殖民者在这场战争中发挥了重要作用，他们提供士兵和资金帮助赢得战争。

The American colonists have played an important role, providing soldiers and funds to help win the conflict.

但这场战争使英国背负了更多债务，也获得了更多需要防御的土地。

But that war has landed Britain with more debt and more land to defend.

因此伦敦方面希望美洲殖民地来承担防卫开支。

So London looks to the American colonies to foot the Security Bill.

从1764年开始，英国议会通过一系列法案征收新税，先是糖和糖蜜税，然后是纸张税。

Starting in 1764, they pass a series of acts of parliament creating new taxes, first on sugar and molasses, then on paper.

这对殖民者而言是极大的侮辱，因为他们需要纸张。

This was a huge insult because colonists needed paper.

他们要寄信。

They sent letters.

他们热衷于阅读报纸和新闻。

They loved to consume newspapers and news.

他们需要法律文件来经营生意或结婚。

They needed legal documents to run a business or to get married.

这真正触及了意识形态的核心问题：如果殖民者没有参与讨论，也没有代表权，议会怎能向他们征税筹款？

So that really got at the ideological cause, which is how can parliament raise funds on the colonists if the colonists don't have any participation in that discussion, if they are not represented?

这引发了更深层的思考：如果他们确实是大英帝国的平等公民，就必须拥有代表权。

And that got at this idea of if they are indeed equal citizens within the British Empire, they need to have representation.

‘无代表不纳税’的口号成为集结号令。

The phrase no taxation without representation becomes a rallying cry.

但伦敦的政客们拒绝听取殖民者的抗议。

But politicians in London refuse to listen to the colonists' protests.

当他们变本加厉引入更多税种时，反抗情绪日益高涨。

When they double down by introducing still more taxes, resistance grows.

反抗活动主要集中在马萨诸塞州的港口城市波士顿，英国派遣被称为‘正规军’的部队前往维持秩序。

Much of the rebellion is centered around the port city of Boston in Massachusetts, and regiments of British troops, known as regulars, are sent to enforce order.

1770年，当国王的士兵向投掷石块的抗议者开火时，紧张局势彻底爆发。

Tensions spill over in 1770 when the king's soldiers open fire on protesters throwing stones.

五名平民丧生。

Five civilians are killed.

士兵们被送上法庭，由一位名叫约翰·亚当斯的35岁美国律师为他们辩护。

The soldiers are brought to trial and defended by a 35 year old American lawyer named John Adams.

他虽不认同英国驻军的存在，但仍成功使这些士兵获判无罪。

He disagrees with the British military presence, but still manages to get the soldiers acquitted.

他认为这是至关重要的证明——他们想要建立的是法治之国，而非人治之国。

He felt was an essential demonstration that the nation that they wanted to create was one of laws, not one of men.

约翰·亚当斯某种程度上还享受不受欢迎的感觉，只要他认定自己所为正确。

John Adams also kind of liked being unpopular if he felt like what he was doing was right.

当他确信自己道德立场正确时，他非常乐于坚持己见对抗他人。

He really liked kind of sticking it to people if he felt that he was morally correct.

所以这其实并未真正困扰到他。

And so that didn't that didn't really bother him.

当约翰·亚当斯为英国士兵辩护时，他的堂兄塞缪尔·亚当斯正在集结反对波士顿占领的力量。

As John Adams is defending the British soldiers, his second cousin, Samuel Adams, is rallying the opposition to the occupation of Boston.

然而英国继续推行《茶叶法案》，向殖民地倾销廉价茶叶，破坏了美国本地商人和走私者的独立生意。

Yet Britain presses on with the Tea Act, which floods the colonies with cheap tea, disrupting the independent business of local American merchants and smugglers.

1773年12月，塞缪尔·亚当斯向数千人的抗议集会发表演说。

In December 1773, Samuel Adams addresses a protest meeting of thousands of people.

但集会结束时，许多参与者前往港口，将342箱英国供应的茶叶倾倒入水中。

But the gathering ends with many participants heading for the harbor, where they dump three forty two chests of British supplied tea into the water.

为报复后来被称为'波士顿倾茶事件'的行为，伦敦政府通过了旨在摧毁该市经济的法律。

In retaliation for what becomes known as the Boston Tea Party, the London government passes laws designed to ruin the city's economy.

此举本意是警告其他12个美洲殖民地要循规蹈矩，结果却适得其反。

It's intended to warn the other 12 American colonies to toe the line, but it backfires spectacularly.

他们认为整个马萨诸塞殖民地正在为少数几个人的行为受到惩罚。

They felt like the entire colony of Massachusetts was being punished for the actions of a small handful of individuals.

如果这是真的，那么所有殖民地都可能因少数人的行为而受到惩罚。

And if that were true, then all of the colonies could be punished for the actions of only a few people.

这确实让他们深感忧虑，并催生了一种需要更协调行动的意识。

And so that was really worrisome for them and led to a sense that there needed to be more coordinated action.

如果要实施广泛的经济抵制，比如，那就需要周密计划和协调，以免某些地方的商人独自承担冲击、自行其是。

If there was going to be a widespread economic response, for example, then that needed to be planned and coordinated so that it wasn't merchants in certain places taking the hit and really acting on their own.

英国所谓的不可容忍法案激起了独立运动。

Britain's so called intolerable acts galvanized the independence movement.

这项立法关闭了波士顿港，并对该城实施更为严苛的殖民管制。

This legislation closes Boston Harbor and brings the city under much more stringent colonial control.

因此，在波士顿倾茶事件十个月后，来自12个殖民地的56名代表齐聚商议对策。

So ten months after the Boston Tea Party, a group of 56 men from 12 of the colonies meet to decide what to do next.

第一届大陆会议于1774年9月在费城召开。

The First Continental Congress takes place in September 1774 in Philadelphia.

北方代表包括塞缪尔·亚当斯及其律师堂弟约翰，南方则有来自弗吉尼亚的42岁代表——由军事英雄转型为政治家的乔治·华盛顿。

The delegates from the North include Samuel Adams and his lawyer cousin John, and from Virginia in the South, a 42 year old military hero turned politician by the name of George Washington.

他们将在接下来的七周内商讨对策，包括抵制英货进口和建立自己的武装力量。

They'll spend the next seven weeks thrashing out their options, including a boycott of British imports and establishment of their own military force.

但除了渴望变革之外，这些代表及其所代表的殖民地之间几乎没有什么共同点。

But apart from their desire for change, the men and the colonies they represent have little in common.

当1774年代表们首次抵达费城参加大陆会议时，去过伦敦的代表比去过费城的还要多。

When the delegates arrived in Philadelphia for the first Continental Congress in 1774, more delegates had been to London than had been to Philadelphia.

这充分表明各殖民地之间实际上并不存在情感纽带。

And that demonstrates that there were no emotional ties really between the colonies.

殖民地之间的经济联系也极为有限。

There were very few economic ties between the colonies.

他们并不将自己视为一个紧密的整体。

They didn't see themselves as a cohesive unit.

他们认为自己仍与祖国紧密相连。

They saw themselves as attached to the homeland.

会议结束时，他们并未立即选择追求独立。

At the end of the Congress, they stopped short of choosing to pursue independence immediately.

作为妥协，他们转而向乔治三世国王递交请愿书，请求他考虑诸多不满并撤销《不可容忍法案》。

Instead, in a compromise, they issue a petition to King George III asking him to consider their many grievances and repeal the intolerable acts.

但他们要说服殖民地人民采取可能导致战争的行动并非易事。

But they'll have their work cut out to convince the people of the colonies to take action that could lead to war.

1774年至1776年间真正重要的是，他们通过协调行动让美国民众跟随他们，试图建立广泛的支持。

What is really important between 1774 and 1776 is they worked in coordinated action to bring the American people along with them to try and build that widespread support.

但即便如此，约翰·亚当斯后来谈及革命时曾说，约三分之一的美国人是热忱的爱国者，三分之一是坚定的效忠派，还有三分之一处于中间立场，只求生存、勉强度日，试图避开离他们最近的任何军队的注意。

But even then, John Adams later said when he was talking about the revolution that about one third of Americans were ardent patriots, one third were ardent loyalists, And one third were in the middle just trying to survive, just trying to get by, just trying to avoid a notice by whatever army happened to be closest to them.

虽然这些具体数字可能并不完全准确，但我认为它确实很好地反映了战争初期美洲大陆的局势。

And while those exact numbers might not be perfectly accurate, I think it does give a pretty good sense of where the continent was at the start of the war.

得益于贸易抵制，到1775年英国商品的进口量骤降了97%。

Thanks to the trade boycott, imports of British goods dropped by a massive 97% by 1775.

作为下一步行动，各殖民地计划停止向大英帝国出口商品，除非他们的不满得到认真对待。

As a next step, the colonies plan to stop exports to the British Empire, unless their grievances are taken seriously.

意识到武装冲突的可能性，每个殖民地都开始招募并训练自己的民兵。

Knowing armed conflict is likely, each colony recruits and trains its own militia.

与此同时，英国军队试图通过逮捕爱国者领袖和缴获武器弹药储备来破坏战争准备。

Meanwhile, the British army tries to disrupt the preparations for war by arresting Patriot leaders and seizing stores of weapons and ammunition.

殖民者们建立了情报和预警网络，以领先国王的军队一步。

The colonists establish intelligence and warning networks to stay one step ahead of the king's men.

十二月在Noiser播客网络将迎来繁忙的一个月，全新节目即将上线。

This December on the Noiser Podcast Network, it's a busy month with the launch of a brand new show.

跟随大卫·苏切特爵士一起聆听《查尔斯·狄更斯鬼故事》，精选狄更斯最令人毛骨悚然的短篇集。

Join Sir David Suchet for Charles Dickens Ghost Stories, a selection of Dickens' most spine tingling tales.

简·奥斯汀作品《傲慢与偏见》的终章：当一切尘埃落定，傲慢会阻碍真爱吗？

In Jane Austen stories, Pride and Prejudice concludes: When all said and done, will pride get in the way of true love?

Short HistoryOp将带我们穿越威尼斯的历史运河，探访纽伦堡审判法庭之外的秘辛。

Short HistoryOp takes us onto the historic canals of Venice and beyond the courtrooms of the Nuremberg trials.

《真实生存故事》将追踪一架坠毁在拉布拉多海的紧急直升机，并穿越巴塔哥尼亚的山地自行车小径。

On real survival stories, we'll follow an emergency chopper as it goes down in the Labrador Sea and traverse the mountain bike trails of Patagonia.

福尔摩斯短篇《六座拿破仑像奇案》中，大侦探揭开了一连串与雕塑相关的神秘罪案。

In Sherlock Holmes' short stories, Holmes unpicks a mysterious string of sculpture related crimes in The Adventure of the Six Napoleons.

《真实独裁者》系列回归，带来让·贝德尔·博卡萨的传奇故事。

And Real Dictators Returns with the extraordinary story of Jean Bedell Bokassa.

提前在Neusser Plus上无广告观看这些节目及更多内容。

Get all of these shows and more early and ad free on Neusser Plus.

如果你还在寻找圣诞礼物，不妨买一本《古罗马简史》，各大书店均有售。

And if you're still on the hunt for Christmas presents, then why not grab a copy of A Short History of Ancient Rome, available in all good bookshops.

现在是1775年4月18日晚上10点。

It's 10PM on the night of 04/18/1775.

在波士顿市中心的一栋木屋里，银匠兼八个孩子父亲的保罗·里维尔穿上了他的厚靴子和羊毛外套。

In a timber house in Downtown Boston, Paul Revere, a silversmith and father of eight, pulls on his thick boots and woolen coat.

妻子深知他将执行危险任务，在吻别时叮嘱他要小心行事。

Knowing the dangerous mission he's about to undertake, his wife kisses him goodbye, warning him to take care.

随后这位39岁的男子出门快步走向河边。

Then the 39 year old heads outside and walks swiftly towards the river.

他时刻提防着英军士兵，但今晚城市的这个区域异常安静。

He keeps an eye out for British soldiers, but this part of the city is quiet tonight.

有消息称英军正在公共绿地上集结，他们将前往距此11英里的列克星敦，逮捕爱国者领袖约翰·汉考克和塞缪尔·亚当斯。

Word is that the king's men are massing on the common, from where they'll head to Lexington, 11 miles from here, to arrest the Patriot leaders John Hancock and Samuel Adams.

保罗·里维尔的职责就是先赶到那里警告他们。

And it is Paul Revere's job to get there first to warn them.

到达河边后，他匆忙爬下河岸与等候的朋友们会合，他们已备好船只准备渡河。

Arriving at the river, he scrambles down the bank to meet some friends who are waiting with a boat to roam across.

夜间渡河是被禁止的，因此他们悄无声息地行动，避开了英国军舰的注意。

Night crossings are forbidden, so they move silently, slipping unnoticed past a British warship.

船靠岸后，里维尔迅速奔向镇子。

The boat grinds onto the shore, and Revere sprints into town.

在那里，他的支持者们已备好马匹——他们早已看到附近教堂亮起的警示危险信号灯。

There, his supporters have a horse ready, having already seen the lanterns lit in a nearby church to warn them of danger.

这是自由之子组织建立的复杂预警系统的一部分，里维尔本人也是其中成员。

It's part of a complex warning system established by the Sons of Liberty group, Revere himself among them.

今晚，他们情报网的效率将决定成败，甚至关乎生死。

Tonight, the strength of their network will be the difference between success and failure, even between life and death.

刚过十一点，里维尔便骑马穿过两侧环水的狭长地带——颈地。

Starting just after eleven, Revere rides along the Neck, a strip of land where water flows either side.

但很快，他就被两名骑马的英国军官发现了。

But soon, he's spotted by two British officers on horseback.

他策马疾驰，但一名军官追上并试图阻拦他，另一名则试图将他拽下马鞍。

He pushes his horse into a gallop, but one officer overtakes to slow him down, while another tries to un saddle him.

里维尔猛拉缰绳，他的马急转方向。

As Revere pulls the reins, his horse turns sharply.

追兵试图跟上，但其中一名军官的马陷入了一个黏土池塘。

His pursuers try to follow, but one officer's horse plunges into a clay pond.

当同伴试图将他拉出时，里维尔趁机逃脱。

As his companion tries to drag him out, Revere escapes.

他又骑行了一个小时前往列克星敦，沿途停下来警告其他爱国者。

He rides for another hour to Lexington, stopping along the way to warn other patriots.

但他发现越来越多的英军士兵。

But he spots more and more king's men.

显然，逮捕一个人不需要这么多红衣军。

Surely, it doesn't take this many redcoats to make an arrest.

刚过午夜，他抵达了目的地——一座木结构的牧师住宅。

Just after midnight, he reaches his destination, a timber framed parsonage.

他拴好马，轻轻敲了敲厚重的正门。

He ties up his horse and knocks quietly on the heavy front door.

一名仆人将他引入屋内。

A servant shows him inside.

壁炉旁的桌边坐着他要见的人：直率粗犷的亚当斯和风度翩翩的汉考克。

Talking at a table near the fireplace are the men he's been sent to see, the blunt, roughly dressed Adams, and the debonair and charming Hancock.

屋里还有其他人，都是为摆脱英国统治这一共同目标聚集于此。

There are others here too, brought together by the common goal of independence from Britain.

众人制定了计划，决定领袖们暂时按兵不动，但要随时准备战斗或撤离。

The men form a plan, deciding that the leaders should stay put for now, but be ready to fight or to flee.

此时备用信使赶到——这是为防备里维尔中途被捕而安排的。

Now a backup messenger arrives, sent in case Revere was captured along the way.

两位骑手分享食物和水，互相通报各自看到的英军数量。

The two riders share food and water, comparing how many British soldiers they've seen.

数量肯定有数百之多。

There must be hundreds.

通过交流，他们推断英军必定是向西前往康科德的民兵武器库。

Between them, the men deduce the British must be headed to the militia weapons store at Concord further west.

于是道斯和里维尔没有回家，而是重新上马向西朝康科德方向疾驰。

So instead of heading home, Dawes and Revere get back in the saddle and head west towards Concord.

途中又有一位自由之子的成员——一名医生加入了他们。

They are joined by another Son of Liberty on the way, a doctor.

但他们才前行三英里，就发现了英国巡逻兵的红制服。

But they've only traveled three miles when they spot the red coats of British patrolmen.

里维尔被团团围住，虽然他的同伴得以逃脱。

Revere finds himself surrounded, though his companions get away.

在枪口威逼下，他选择了投降。

At gunpoint, he surrenders.

他顺从地接受了武器搜查。

He submits to being searched for weapons.

在被盘问完他的任务后，他被迫与他们一同骑马返回列克星敦。

Then after he's questioned about his mission, he is forced to ride with them back towards Lexington.

他只能希望其他人已能及时赶到康科德向民兵发出警告。

He can only hope the others have been able to get all the way to Concord to warn the militia in time.

但当他回到列克星敦时，他听到了一声枪响。

But when he arrives back in Lexington, he hears a gunshot.

由于无法分辨是谁在向谁开枪，他的英国看守们丢下他这个俘虏，急忙赶去与同伴会合，还强迫里维尔交出了他的马。

With no way to know who is firing on whom, his British captors abandon their prisoner and race to join their compatriots, forcing Revere to hand over his horse.

当他徒步跟随时，更多的枪声响起。

As he follows on foot, more shots ring out.

天已破晓，他希望自己已经尽力了。

The day is breaking, and he hopes he has done enough.

那第一声枪响后来被描述为'响彻世界的枪声'，标志着美国独立战争的开始。

That first gunfire will later be described as the shot heard around the world, signaling the start of the American Revolutionary War.

在列克星敦的首次交火中，英军打死了八人。

During the first skirmish at Lexington, the British kill eight.

但殖民者将在康科德实施报复。

But the colonists will have their revenge at Concord.

与里维尔同行的医生成功发出警报，使爱国者们得以保护武器并迫使英军撤退回波士顿。

The doctor who was riding with Revere manages to get a warning through so the Patriots are ready to protect their weapons and send the British back in retreat to Boston.

英军伤亡人数是殖民者的两倍。

British casualties outnumber colonist losses two to one.

塞缪尔·亚当斯和约翰·汉考克都得以继续他们的工作。

And both Samuel Adams and John Hancock are free to continue their work.

随着军事冲突的展开，更多人投身于这项事业。

As the military conflict gets underway, more people rally to the the cause.

尽管大陆会议向乔治三世递交了另一份请愿书，试图避免全面战争，但他们知道这很可能不会成功。

And though the Continental Congress sends another petition to George the Third in a final attempt to avoid all out war, they know it probably won't succeed.

是时候组建大陆军了。

It is time to establish the Continental Army.

但该由谁来领导这支军队呢？

But who should lead it?

律师约翰·亚当斯明白这个选择有多么关键。

Lawyer John Adams understands how critical the choice will be.

这是一个经过精心计算的战略决策，主要由约翰·亚当斯策划。

This was a very calculated strategic decision that was largely engineered by John Adams.

他明白军事冲突始于马萨诸塞州。

He understood that the military conflict had started in Massachusetts.

在很多方面，许多人指责波士顿的反叛者更广泛地挑起了冲突。

In a lot of ways, a lot of people blamed the rebels in Boston for instigating the conflict more broadly.

因此，指挥官需要来自弗吉尼亚州，那是当时殖民地中最大的州。

And so the commander needed to be from Virginia, which was the biggest state in the among the colonies at the time.

它是最富有的州，而且这需要成为一项全国性的努力。

It was the wealthiest, and it needed to be a a national effort.

在弗吉尼亚人中，乔治·华盛顿是显而易见的选择。

Among the Virginians, George Washington was the obvious choice.

他看起来就像那个人选。

He looked part.

他拥有丰富的军事经验，并且特意身着军装出席，以防有人忘记他先前的军事背景。

He had a lot of military experience, and he had showed up suggestively in military uniform just in case anyone forgot about his previous military experience.

于是约翰·亚当斯策划推举了乔治·华盛顿，后者接受了指挥权，并在大陆会议结束前启程前往马萨诸塞州。

So John Adams engineered the denomination of George Washington, who accepted the command and rode out up to Massachusetts before the end of the Congress.

此刻第二届大陆会议做出了一个关键决定。

Now the Second Continental Congress makes a critical decision.

1776年6月，代表们投票通过了一项决议，决议中明确宣告'这些联合殖民地理应成为自由独立之邦'。

In June 1776, the delegates vote for a resolution which declares, in its own words, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.

一个五人委员会负责起草《独立宣言》。

A committee of five drafts the Declaration.

委员会成员包括约翰·亚当斯，以及富有魅力的企业家兼发明家本杰明·富兰克林。

It includes John Adams, plus a charismatic entrepreneur and inventor called Benjamin Franklin.

但最终由33岁的弗吉尼亚富豪托马斯·杰斐逊执笔，写下了英语世界最著名的篇章。

But it is Thomas Jefferson, a wealthy 33 year old Virginian, who writes some of the most famous words in the English language.

他从出生起就继承了大量土地，因为他是父亲的长子。

He inherited a ton of land from basically the moment he was born because he was his father's oldest son.

因此他确实含着金汤匙出生。

And so he really was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

人们一直期望他从政，因为这是他那个阶层的男性该做的事。

There was always an expectation that he was going into politics because that's what men of his class did.

他是个文笔优美的作家。

He was a beautiful writer.

而且，这份宣言应该来自弗吉尼亚。

And again, it should come from Virginia.

这应该是个统一的过程。

It should be a unified process.

于是接下来几周他都在起草这份文件。

So he spent the next couple of weeks working on a draft.

本杰明·富兰克林和约翰·亚当斯随后对草案做了些修改，于七月初提交给国会。

Benjamin Franklin and John Adams then made some tweaks to that draft before they submitted it to Congress in early July.

杰斐逊起草的第一版总共被修改了86处。

In total, 86 edits are made to the first draft Jefferson writes.

但其中有一处修改至今仍被讨论。

But one revision in particular is discussed to this day.

此时，殖民地约有50万非洲裔人口被奴役，占总人口的五分之一。

By this time, around half a million people of African origin, one fifth of the population, are enslaved in the colonies.

但他们几乎都生活在南方，在种植园里种植烟草、水稻和其他作物。

But almost all of them live in the South, working on plantations growing tobacco, rice, and other crops.

各地区对此态度分歧，南方政客为奴隶制辩护，而北方许多人则希望废除它。

Attitudes are divided along regional lines, with politicians in the South defending slavery, and many in the North wanting it abolished.

杰斐逊的初稿中包含了对奴隶制罪恶的谴责，尽管他自己就奴役着数百人。

Jefferson's original draft included references to the evil of slavery, even though he himself kept hundreds of enslaved people.

他暗示英国国王应对将奴隶运往美洲负责，并延续这场违反人性的残酷战争。

He suggests that the British king is to blame for transporting slaves to America and perpetuating a cruel war against human nature itself.

这是一个极具争议的声明。

This was a very controversial statement.

大陆会议的许多人都认为这混淆了焦点。

A lot of people at the Continental Congress felt that it it muddied the waters.

这让独立的主张变得复杂得多，因为他们并非旨在废除奴隶制。

It made the argument for independence much more complicated because they weren't setting about to eradicate slavery.

他们只是想实现自身的独立。

They were setting about to separate themselves.

因此他们最终删除了那条指控国王的条款，使得最终宣言中完全没有提及奴隶制。

And so they ended up removing that clause, removing that offense against the king so that there is no mention of slavery in the ultimate declaration.

1776年7月2日，国会通过了宣布独立的最终决议。

The final resolution to declare independence is adopted by Congress on 07/02/1776.

许多代表原本预计这个日期将成为未来的庆祝日。

It's that date that many delegates expect to be celebrated in the future.

但措辞又经过了两天的辩论，新草案才获得通过。

But the wording is debated for two more days before the new draft is approved.

消息传播工作立即展开。

The operation to spread the word starts right away.

7月4日当晚，200份宣言副本被连夜印刷出来。

Overnight, on the July 4, 200 copies are printed.

其中一份被送往纽约市的乔治·华盛顿及其军队处，他向士兵们宣读以提振士气。

One is dispatched to George Washington and his army in New York City, where he reads it out to the troops to boost morale.

作为回应，他的士兵们推倒了国王乔治的雕像，将其熔化后制成弹药。

In response, his men topple a statue of King George, which is melted down to be turned into ammunition.

最终版本的《独立宣言》仅1300余字，详细列举了殖民地针对乔治三世的诸多不满。

At just over 1,300 words, the final version of the Declaration of Independence details the many grievances the colonies have against King George the Third.

但真正举世闻名并激励后世数百年的，是其开篇的序言部分。

But it's the opening preamble that will become world famous and inspire people over the centuries to come.

宣言宣称：'我们认为这些真理不言而喻，人人生而平等，造物主赋予他们若干不可剥夺的权利，其中包括生命权、自由权和追求幸福的权利——为了保障这些权利，人类才在他们之间建立政府，而政府之正当权力，是经被治理者的同意而产生的。'

We hold these truths to be self evident, it says, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

《独立宣言》的序言极为优美，其非凡的措辞在此后数十年间激励了其他革命运动。

The Declaration's Preamble is beautiful, and it is extraordinary language that inspired other revolutions for many decades thereafter.

但本质上，这份文件旨在解释他们采取这一行动的原因。

But in and of itself, it was actually a document that was trying to explain why they were taking this action.

这实际上是一份面向国际的宗旨声明。

It was very much an international facing statement of purpose.

它向全球其他君主制国家解释，他们本身并非反对君主制。

It explained to the other monarchies around the globe that they weren't anti monarchy per se.

他们试图消除法国和西班牙的担忧，表明他们并非要摧毁所有君主政体，而是存在一些具体的不满未得到解决，因此他们采取这一行动是正当的。

They were trying to reassure the fears of the French and the Spanish that they weren't trying to destroy all monarchies, but that there were very specific grievances that had not been addressed, and therefore they were justified in taking this action.

《独立宣言》发布后不久，英军占领了纽约市。

Soon after the Declaration of Independence, the British occupy New York City.

尽管华盛顿和他的部队在1776年圣诞节横渡特拉华河时取得了胜利，但前方仍有许多挑战和战役。

Although Washington and his men are victorious when they cross the Delaware at Christmas in 1776, there are many challenges and battles ahead.

殖民者正在与一个帝国超级大国开战。

The colonists are going to war against an imperial superpower.

对许多人来说，这似乎是一场不可能打赢的战斗。

To many, it seems like an impossible fight.

迄今为止，还没有哪个殖民地能够成功宣布并赢得独立。

To date, no colony has managed to declare and gain independence.

英国海军是当时世界上最强大的，其陆军也以纪律严明和技能高超而闻名。

The British navy is the most powerful in the world, and its army is notorious for its discipline and skill.

然而这并非一场一边倒的冲突。

Yet it's not a one-sided conflict.

大陆军中许多士兵曾与英军并肩作战，深知他们的作战思维。

Many of the men in the Continental Army have fought alongside the British and understand how they think.

而他们的指挥官是一位非凡的人物。

And their commander is an exceptional man.

历史学家通常避免使用‘某个人不可或缺’这类论断。

Historians generally like to avoid statements like this one person was indispensable.

但对乔治·华盛顿而言，这个评价确实准确——我们无法夸大他对革命的重要性，因为恐怕只有他才能维系大陆军的团结。

But in the case of George Washington, it is really accurate and we can't overstate his importance to the revolution because he was the only person probably that could have held the continental army together.

战争中期，国会已将部队称为‘华盛顿的军队’而非‘美军’，因为士兵们对他极度忠诚与爱戴，可能不会为其他任何人而战。

By the midway point in the war, Congress was referring to the troops as Washington's troops as opposed to American troops because they were so loyal to him and adored him so much that they probably wouldn't have fought for anyone else.

他深刻意识到自我牺牲精神对这场战争至关重要。

And he had a very keen sense that his self sacrifice was essential to this conflict.

因此他从未返回过家乡。

So he didn't ever go home.

他从未离开过他的部队。

He didn't ever leave his troops.

他始终坚守岗位，深知只要自己不死、军队不解散，英军就几乎不可能获胜。

He was there the entire time and knew that as long as he didn't die and as long as the army didn't disintegrate, that it was going to be almost impossible for the British to win.

他的营地助手亚历山大·汉密尔顿虽年轻却天赋异禀。

His aide to camp, Alexander Hamilton, is young but gifted.

出生于西印度群岛，由未婚母亲抚养长大，在商人和种植园主的资助下被送往美国——这些赞助者都看出了他非凡的潜力。

Born in the West Indies, raised by an unwed mother, he is sent to America with the support of business people and plantation owners who spot his incredible potential.

汉密尔顿拥有卓越的沟通和组织才能。

Hamilton had such great communication and organizational skills.

他能掌握并处理的信息量远超常人所能企及。

He could master and maintain more information than most people would be able to process.

因此他不仅能迅速掌握华盛顿的说话风格，代其执笔并准确传达上司意图，还能有效管理身边同僚。

And so not only did he very quickly adopt Washington's voice so he could write for Washington and knew what his boss wanted him to say, but he could also manage those around him.

他几乎成为了总部的参谋长般的存在。

And so he almost became like a chief of staff at the headquarters.

1777年，在华盛顿领导士气低落的军队横渡特拉华河不到一年后，英军也占领了首都费城。

In 1777, less than a year after Washington led the morale razing crossing of the Delaware, the British have also occupied the capital, Philadelphia.

但在10月，华盛顿的军队在萨拉托加战役中决定性地击败了占优势的英军。

But in October, Washington's army decisively defeats the superior British troops in the Battle of Saratoga.

爱国者们现在需要的是更多盟友和资金来维持战斗。

What the Patriots need now is more allies and more money to keep fighting.

这场外交战役的核心就在欧洲。

And that diplomatic campaign centers on Europe.

曾共同起草《独立宣言》的约翰·亚当斯、本杰明·富兰克林和托马斯·杰斐逊，现在必须与法国和西班牙建立关键联盟。

John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, who worked together on the Declaration of Independence, must now forge critical alliances with France and Spain.

本杰明·富兰克林正努力从法国获取物资、资金和军费，起初是秘密供应，1778年《友好通商防御条约》签署后便转为官方支持。

Benjamin Franklin was hard at work trying to get supplies and money and funds from the French, which they initially supplied secretly and then supplied officially once the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and Defense was signed in 1778.

法国还说服了西班牙支持美国。

The French also convinced Spain to support The United States.

约翰·亚当斯直率务实的作风不受法国人待见，但他成功从荷兰银行家那里获得了贷款。

John Adams, whose no nonsense style doesn't go down well with the French, has more luck getting loans from Dutch bankers.

当欧洲各国支持殖民者时，这成为了一个转折点。

And when the European nations back the colonists, it's a turning point.

一场遥远的内部战争如今演变为具有全球意义的冲突。

A distant civil war now becomes a globally significant conflict.

华盛顿的军队在试图夺回费城的行动中经历了一个严酷的冬天。

Washington's army has endured a savage winter in its efforts to reclaim Philadelphia.

他的部队撤退到附近的高地。

His men withdraw to a nearby plateau.

但12月在营地驻扎的12,000名士兵中，多达两千人死于疾病。

But of 12,000 men who quarter there in December, up to two thousand die of disease.

幸存者们却蜕变成一支强大而团结的军队。

But the survivors emerge as a powerful united force.

他们再次出击，并于1778年6月迫使英军放弃费城。

They strike again, and in June 1778, force the British to abandon Philadelphia.

随着法国及后续西班牙的资金和部队抵达支援大陆军，北方战场陷入僵局，战事转向南方殖民地。

As French and later Spanish funds and forces arrive to support the Continental Army, there is a stalemate in the North as action switches to the southern colonies.

英国人相信那里仍有许多殖民者对国王保持忠诚。

The British are convinced many colonists there are still loyal to the king.

但这还不够。

But it's not enough.

到了1781年，由康沃利斯将军率领的国王军队在弗吉尼亚的约克半岛被围困。

By the 1781, the king's army, led by General Cornwallis, are under siege on the Yorktown Peninsula in Virginia.

华盛顿率领一支14,000人的军队进攻他们，并得到36艘法国战舰的支援，切断了英军的退路。

Washington leads an army of 14,000 against them, supported by 36 French warships who stop the British getting away.

10月19日，康沃利斯带着7,000人的全部部队投降。

Cornwallis surrenders on October 19 with his entire force of 7,000 men.

尽管战争直到两年后才正式结束，但英军已于1782年开始撤离。

And although the war doesn't officially end for another two years, British troops begin to withdraw in 1782.

乔治国王派遣谈判代表前往法国首都商定和平条约的具体条款。

King George sends negotiators to the French capital to work out the details of a peace treaty.

通过这些谈判，他们达成了《巴黎条约》，这是一份对新成立的美国格外慷慨的条约，包括在纽芬兰的捕鱼权和领土承认。

Through those negotiations, they were able to come up with the Treaty of Paris, which was a remarkably generous treaty to the new United States, including fishing rights in the Newfoundlands and recognition of territory.

该条约于1783年签署，正式结束了战争。

It was signed in 1783 and officially ended the war.

我最喜欢的关于该条约的描绘之一是一幅创作过程中的画作，原本计划描绘英国部长们和美国部长们。

One of my favorite depictions of that treaty is a painting that was done partway through the process in which the British ministers were supposed to be depicted and the American ministers were supposed to be depicted.

但由于许多英国人认为该条约某种程度上背叛了英国利益，英国部长们拒绝为此画作摆姿势。

But because the treaty was viewed as sort of a betrayal of British interests by a lot of the British people, the British ministers refused to sit for it.

因此这幅画永远未能完成，其复制品至今仍保存在华盛顿特区的国务院内。

And so it is a permanently unfinished painting that a copy of which is still in the State Department in Washington DC today.

超过两万五千名美国人在独立战争中丧生，但其中可能不到四分之一是战死沙场。

Over twenty five thousand Americans die during the Revolutionary War, But perhaps fewer than a quarter of those fell in battle.

其余人则死于疾病或作为战俘而亡。

The others perished from disease or as prisoners of war.

英军的损失记录较少，但据估计约有24,000人阵亡、受伤或被俘，另有约7,500名雇佣兵。

The British losses are less well recorded, though around 24,000 are thought to have been killed, injured, or captured, along with around 7,500 mercenaries.

但历史已然铸就，这为其他希望摆脱大帝国统治的殖民地树立了先例。

But history has been made, and a precedent has been set for other colonists hoping to break free from larger empires.

对于那些如此坚信自由愿景的人们来说，剩下的是一项全然不同的任务——建立一个新国家。

What's left for those who so believed in their vision of freedom is a completely different task, that of founding a new nation.

从许多方面来看，宣布独立并赢得战争反而是容易的部分，真正维持国家运转要困难得多。

In a lot of ways, declaring independence and winning the war was the easy part, and actually existing was much, much harder.

因为当殖民地面对英国这个共同敌人时，他们还能集中精力对抗。

Because when the colonies had a common enemy of Great Britain, they could kind of focus on that.

而一旦失去这个共同敌人，他们某种程度上就变成了彼此的敌人。

And once they lost that common enemy, they kind of became each other's enemy.

新政府已有一些基本准则，即战争期间通过的《邦联条例》。

The new government already has some ground rules in place known as the Articles of Confederation, which were adopted during the war.

但这些条例存在一个重大缺陷。

But these have one big flaw.

根据条例，国会无权强制征税，因此政府没有资金。

Congress did not have the right under the articles to enforce the collection of taxation, so it had no money.

所以它无法支付任何官员的薪水。

So it couldn't pay any of its officials.

它无力偿还战争债务。

It couldn't pay off its debts from the war.

它无法支付军队来保卫新边界。

It couldn't pay for an army to defend its new borders.

它什么都做不了。

It could do nothing.

各州在经济原则、边境防御、河流航行权设定税收等问题上争吵不休。

The states were squabbling with each other over economic principles and defense of its borders over the right to navigate different rivers and set taxes, all of these things.

所有国际帝国以及西部边境的原住民部落都虎视眈眈，等着这个国家分崩离析，好瓜分领土。

All of the international empires, as well as the native nations on the western borders were ready and waiting for the country to fall apart and to pick off the pieces to tuck back into their territory.

这是个非常灾难性的局面。

So it was a very calamitous situation.

在被远方君主统治多年后，许多美国人强烈抵制中央集权。

After being ruled for so long by distant king, many Americans are hugely resistant to centralized power.

他们害怕失去无数人用生命捍卫的个人自由。

They fear losing the individual freedom so many died defending.

但随着经济低迷，必须采取极端措施。

But with the economy suffering, drastic measures are needed.

1787年，新政府成员摒弃了旧有的《邦联条例》。

In the 1787, members of the new government ditch the old Articles.

他们的会议制定了一份文件，即后来的美国宪法。

Their convention creates a document that becomes the US Constitution.

它将各州联合起来，创造了统一货币和军事力量。

It brings the states together, creating a common currency and military force.

但即使新协议的缔造者也深知其远非完美。

But even those behind the new agreement know it's far from perfect.

这实际上是一系列妥协的产物，旨在解决当时已发现的问题，并为后代提供灵活性以应对他们尚无法预见的难题——比如蓄奴问题，他们明知这将成为重大隐患却不知如何解决。

It was really a series of compromises that had been patched together to try and address some of the problems that they had seen, to try and give future generations flexibility to solve problems that they could not yet possibly foresee, or problems like slavery that they understood were going to be a huge issue but didn't know yet how to solve.

批评声立即指向了他们回避的问题，包括蓄奴制度这一争议。

Criticism immediately focuses on the issues they've avoided, including that question of slavery.

当时已有许多人强烈反对奴隶制度。

There were a lot of people at the time who were very opposed to slavery.

也有许多人意识到，一边谈论自由与人权一边奴役他人是多么虚伪。

And there were a lot of people who understood the hypocrisy of talking about liberty and freedom while owning other human beings.

许多英国观察家甚至指出，对自由呼声最高的恰恰是那些奴隶主。

And many British observers actually talked about that the loudest yelps for liberty were coming from those that owned people.

当时有许多人希望赋予联邦政府更多权力来管制奴隶制度。

There were a lot of people who wanted to give the federal government more power to regulate slavery.

很多人认为，南方州在剥夺他人自由的同时还能在国会获得更多代表权是极不公平的。

There were a lot of people who felt that it was wildly unfair to give Southern states more representation in Congress while they were depriving other people of their liberties.

但南卡罗来纳等州威胁称，若有人试图限制奴隶制，他们将退出制宪会议。

But South Carolina and some of the other states threatened to leave the Constitutional Convention if any effort was made to curtail slavery.

被奴役者并非唯一被剥夺权利的群体。

Enslaved people are not the only ones whose rights are ignored.

女性没有投票权。

Women don't get to vote.

美洲原住民也处于极度不利的地位。

Native Americans are also at a huge disadvantage.